Heel seat molding and lasting machines

ABSTRACT

A shoe upper conforming machine having at last support including a jack post slidable in a direction substantially normal to the operating plane of a pair of heel seat wipers and fluid pressure means in the jack post for positioning the bottom of a last on the support at a predetermined level relative to said operating plane regardless of the height of the last prior to the lasting operation.

iinited tates Fatent [451 Jan. 9, 1973 Barton [5 HEEL SEAT MULDING LASTING MAQ 721 Inventor? eoi-ge Barton, Leicester,

England [73] A ssigne e i U 82 M Corporation, Boston, Mass.

1 Io v 2- 4 1 9 li) 7 my [21] Appl. No.: 92,358

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 29, .1969 Great Britain ..58,451

[52] US. Cl ..12/12.5 [51] int. C1. ..A43d 21/00 [58] Fieldof Search ......12/l2.4,12.5, 10.1, 10.5, 12/14.2, 126, 127

[56] References Cited H UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,189,924 6/1965 Kamborianetal. 12 12.5

3/1960 Gilbridgeetal. ..12/l2.4 6/1963 Vornberger ..l2/l2.4

Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Att0'rney-Richard. A. Wise, Richare B. Megley and Vincent A. White 7 ABSTRACT A shoe upper conforming machine having at last support including a jack post slidable in a direction substantially normal to the operating plane of a pair of heel seat wipers and fluidpressure means in the jack post for positioning the bottom of a last on the support at a predetermined level relative to said operating plane regardless of the height of the last prior to the lasting operation.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JAN 9 I975 SHEEI 1 0F 2 lnvenzor George CBarzoiz By his Attorney BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In our copending U.S. application, filed on Aug. 31,

1970, under Ser. No. 68,251, in the names of Frank l-Iartshorn and George Millar there is described a machine which is adapted to perform backpart molding and heel seat lasting operations on shoe upper/insole assemblies supported on lasts. That machine comprises a support for holding a lasted shoe upper/insole assembly in an operative position, means for tensioning the upper about the heel end portion of the last and heightwise thereof, a heel band for clamping heel end portions of the upper about the last, and wiping means for wiping the lasting margin of the upper inwardly across the lasting margin of the insole in the heel area for attachment thereto by means of adhesive, for instance.

The last support of the machine described in said copending application is arranged to hold the last with its bottom facing upwardly. The support comprises a last pin on a jack post which is movable heightwise in a sleeve assembly mounted in the machine frame. At the base of the sleeve assembly there is provided a diaphragm motor having a'plunger engaging an adjustment screw extending downwardly from the jack post.

The diaphragm motor is adapted to move the jack post upwardly for applying bedding pressure to the bottom of the upper/insole assembly until the applied adhesive has sufficiently set, after the wiping means have wiped lasting margins of the upper over corresponding lasting marginsof the insole. Initially, the jack post is supported upon a spring, the arrangement and construction being such that the last is positioned at a height that places the lasting surface of the insole slightly higher than the operative plane of the wipers. It is bymeans of a hold-down member that prior to the lasting operation the last is depressed, against the action of the spring, to a level that places the insole into the plane of operation of the wiper means.

While the known machine assures proper positioning of lasts of a narrow range of heights relative to the operating plane of the wiper means, and flawless lasting operations, they suffer from the disadvantage that lasts of significant variations in height, as may be encountered between adults and childrens lasts, cannot without complicated and time consuming resetting of the adjustment screw be accommodated, the resetting of the adjustment screw being accomplished by removal of the jack post from its guide sleeve.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is thus an object of the invention to provide in a' lasting machine of the general kind described in our copending application means adapted for proper positioning of last bottoms relative to the operating plane of wiper means without complicated adjustment procedures, regardless of the height of individual lasts.

Another object of the invention resides in the provi- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the accomplishment of these and other objects of the invention, there is provided in a heel seat molding and lasting machine having a last support yieldable under the action of a hold-down member to position the bottom of a last on the support to a predetermined level relative to the plane of heel seat wipers and a diaphragm motor a jack post comprising a pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement, the arrangement being such that fluid pressure is supplied to the cylinder under relatively light pressure while the bottom of the last is being located relative to the wipers.

In connection with this pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement, and as an embodiment of special advantage, the invention further provides for pneumatic control circuitry adapted to supply fluid initially under relatively light pressure to the piston and cylinder device while the bottom of the last with the insole thereon islocated at a desired level relative to the wiping means and for subsequently increasing the pressure to support the last more firmly for the wiping action of the wipers.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combination of parts will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular machine embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be. employed in varied and numerous shoe machine.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The heel seat lasting and backpart molding machine comprises a shoe support provided by'a jack post 2 having a last pin 10 for entering the usual thimble hole of a last to support the last bottom up. The jack post is slidable heightwise in a sleeve assembly 4 having a flange 9 secured to a supporting member 6 including a tubular portion 8. A lower end portion of the jack post 2 is provided with a cylindrical bore 3 opening through the lower end of the jack post and slidably receiving a plunger 5 which extends out of the bore and is provided with a cylindrical head portion 7 which rests upon a plunger 20 of a diaphragm pneumatic motor 18 secured to the supporting member 6. A passage 11 extends coaxially through the plunger 5 from an inlet pipe 13 by means of which air under pressure can be admitted to the bore 3 above the plunger to support the jack post 2. The initial heightwise position of the jack post is determined by engagement of a screw 15 with a shoulder at an upper end of a recess 17 extending heightwise in the plunger 5.

A shoe carried by the jack is initially yieldably supported by compressed air at a relatively low pressure admitted to the bore 3 at a level such that the shoe is supported on presentation to the machine with the heel seat surface of the insole slightly above the plane of operation of heel seat wipers. a

When a last with assembled upper and insole has been placed on the last pin 10 with the toe end portion resting in a V-shaped member 22 of a toe pincer 24, the operator will depress the forepart of the shoe and hence the V-shaped member, thereby closing an electric circuit which allows a cycle of operations of the machine to be initiated by depression of a treadle.

On depression of the treadle a hold-down member 30 is advanced from a retracted position (FIG. 1) to a position over the last pin 10 to move the shoe on the jack post 2 downwardly against the air pressure in the bore 3 to locate the insole at the correct height for the inwiping operation of heel seat wipers (not shown).

Release of the treadle then causes the toe pincer ar-.

rangement 24 to grip marginal portions of the upper at each side ofthe toe and to pull the upper snugly about the heel end portion of the last.

The control circuit controlling the supply of air under pressure to the jack mechanism is such that at the commencement of a cycle of operations air under relatively low pressure is supplied to the bore 3 above the plunger 5 so as to maintain the jack post 2 yieldably desiredlevel with respect to the wiping plane of the wipers, the extent of depression of the jack post 2 vary-- ing with the depth of different lasts presented to the machine. The force exerted between the nozzle member and insole being relatively light, the operator may re-position the last as may be necessary as he presents the toe portion of the upper to the jaws of the toe pincer 24 arrangement. After the toe gripper arrangement 24 has gripped and pulled the upper above the heel end of the last and prior to initiation of the action of the side grippers, air pressure in the bore 3 is increased so as to support the last firmly against depression as hold-down members associated with the side grippers 32 engage the shoe. After the application of a 'heel band (not shown) and the application of adhesive through the nozzle member, the wipers are operated, the last and assembled upper and insole being supported by air under the relatively high pressure being supplied to the bore 3. The hold-down member 30 is removed from engagement with the shoe bottom to allow the shoe to thrust upwardly by the action of lasting margin is bedded against the insole and secured firmly thereto by the applied adhesive) the air pressure in the diaphragm motor 18 and in the bore 3 is exhausted so that the shoe on its last is lowered prior to retraction of the wipers. After the shoe has been removed from the last pin, air under said relatively light pressure is re-admitted to the bore 3 to re-position the last pin in its initial position ready for the next cycle of operations of the machine.

. until the heel seat portion of the insole is located at the What is claimed is: 1. In a shoe upperv conforming machine having backpart molding and heel seat wiping means, and a shoe support including a jack post for supporting a shoe upper/insole assembly on a last, said post being movable heightwise relative, to said. molding and wiping means, the improvement comprising fluid pressure operative means acting on said jack post with a yieldable force for initially supporting the shoe assembly, hold-down means movable against the action of said operative means from a retracted position heightwise into engagement with the bottom of the shoe assembly and to aposition in which the shoe assembly is moved to a predetermined heightwise location suitable for operation of said molding and wiping means on said shoe upper, and power operated means also acting on said jack post in a heightwise direction and independently of said operative means to force the bottom of the shoe assembly with a bedding pressure against the wiping means after the shoe upper is wiped over the insole bottom.

' 2. A machine according to claim 1 in which said fluid pressure operative means comprises a piston and cylinder assembly contained within the jack post.

3, Amachine according to claim 2 in which said power operated means is mounted outside the jack post.

4. A heel seat molding and lasting machine as in claim 2 in which said pneumatically actuated piston and cylinder assembly is provided with pneumatic control circuitry adapted to supply fluid initially under relatively light pressure to said piston and cylinder assembly while the bottom of the last with the insole thereon is located at a desired level relative to the wiping means, and for subsequently increasing the pressure to support the last more firmly for the wiping action of the wipers.

822g? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "CERTIF CATE or CORRECTION Patent No. I 3 708, 8 1.4 7 Dated Januaryi9, 19 73 Inventor(s) George" C. Barton 7 I It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

I I i "1 On the title page after Assignee: change U & M to --USM- Signed and sealed this 10th day of July 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Rene; Tegtmeyer Attesting Officer t ng Commissioner of Patents 

1. In a shoe upper conforming machine having backpart molding and heel seat wiping means, and a shoe support including a jack post for supporting a shoe upper/insole assembly on a last, said post being movable heightwise relative to said molding and wiping means, the improvement comprising fluid pressure operative means acting on said jack post with a yieldable force for initially supporting the shoe assembly, hold-down means movable against the action of said operative means from a reTracted position heightwise into engagement with the bottom of the shoe assembly and to a position in which the shoe assembly is moved to a predetermined heightwise location suitable for operation of said molding and wiping means on said shoe upper, and power operated means also acting on said jack post in a heightwise direction and independently of said operative means to force the bottom of the shoe assembly with a bedding pressure against the wiping means after the shoe upper is wiped over the insole bottom.
 2. A machine according to claim 1 in which said fluid pressure operative means comprises a piston and cylinder assembly contained within the jack post.
 3. A machine according to claim 2 in which said power operated means is mounted outside the jack post.
 4. A heel seat molding and lasting machine as in claim 2 in which said pneumatically actuated piston and cylinder assembly is provided with pneumatic control circuitry adapted to supply fluid initially under relatively light pressure to said piston and cylinder assembly while the bottom of the last with the insole thereon is located at a desired level relative to the wiping means, and for subsequently increasing the pressure to support the last more firmly for the wiping action of the wipers. 